


far more golden than gold

by taxingme



Category: Men's Hockey RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe - Always a Different Sex, Cunnilingus, F/F, First Time, Getting Together, Pining, Rule 63, Sharing a Bed
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-03
Updated: 2019-01-03
Packaged: 2019-09-26 05:43:21
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,708
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17136074
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/taxingme/pseuds/taxingme
Summary: At this point, being into Willy is just a part of who she is, secondary and not important because there’s no way anything is ever going to happen between them. Zach can’t even remember when it started. When Zach first started with the Marlies, she was still getting used to the idea of not being straight and spent a lot of that season relearning herself. There was the haircut, and the (ex)girlfriend, and the coming out and the playing in Toronto and Zach thinks she can be excused for not realising that Willy was also a huge part of it.





	far more golden than gold

**Author's Note:**

  * For [andersens](https://archiveofourown.org/users/andersens/gifts).



> andersens- I hope you enjoy this. This isn't your prompt but it's in the spirit of your likes so hope you still like it! I had a lot fun writing this and you had some really great prompts and hopefully one day I'll actually get around to writing the prompt you had for these two because it's perfect for them :)) 
> 
> Title is from a sappho fragment and I don't think anything needs to be warned for but let me know!

Willy is flat on her feet after the game but she’s putting up a good front. She’s wearily agreeing to Kappy and Mitchy’s plans about going out, but Zach can tell she’s not going to make it past the first bar. All of them can probably see it. Offseason training is nothing like the speed and intensity of an actual game and Willy is two months behind everyone else in the league. And with all the shit today she didn’t fit in any practice before the game. There was interviews and hospital visits and catching up with everyone but no practice. Zach can barely believe she’s still standing. 

“Come on, come on, come on,” Kappy wheedles. Willy’s going to say no, Zach can see it, it’s in the set of her jaw and the flop of her hair and the exhausted look in her eyes. But then: “I’ll buy you fancy cocktails all night. Like that time in LA.” She’s got a mischievous look – practically default for her – and she waggles her eyebrows until Willy laughs and agrees to come. 

Zach looks away with a grimace and pats down her pockets, checking she has what she needs before she heads home for the night. Excited whooping fills the room as news of Willy going out travels and Zach hates the heavy rock of jealousy in her stomach that’s stopping her from being excited too. She’s excited Willy’s back, of course she is, but there’s a difference between Willy being back in her life and back on the team, and watching Willy go out and hook up with someone else. Win or lose everyone in this city is so in love with her for signing. Zach makes it all the way to the door before anyone stops her. It’s a firm grip on her bicep and Zach notices the chipped blue and white nails first and _of course_ it’s Willy who’s stopping her. She has a soft look on her face and Zach can already feel her resolve breaking, no puppy eyes necessary, thanks. 

“You’re going to come too, yeah? I’ve missed you,” she says. Zach sighs internally but agrees to go for at least one drink. Willy smiles, big and bright and beautiful and everything Zach has missed, and it’s so charming that Zach doesn’t even regret saying yes. 

***

They end up somewhere they’ve been before, trendy and modern with semi-decent music that doesn’t make Zach want to suggest somewhere else straight away. The bar is along the left wall and the rest of the bottom floor is basically a dance floor, crowed and cramped with beautiful people. Zach remembers there being a second floor with booths and she trails after Naz, JT and Jake as they wander over to the stairs to find one. The second floor is only on the edges of the room, a wide-open space yawning over the dance floor, and there are plenty of people hanging over the balcony to stare and laugh at the people below. Zach rolls her eyes at them and then feels guilty when they’ve walked the whole way around and haven’t found an empty booth. 

They find a space for the four of them on the rail and it’s not too loud that they can’t talk, but loud enough that Zach doesn’t feel too guilty for not really listening to them. Down below Zach can make out a few of the others that came along – Mitch is dancing with Steph, Auston is close by but far enough away from them that she’s trying to pick up and Mo, Freddie and Connor are doing shots at the bar. She wasn’t not looking for them, but it takes a while for her to find Willy and Kappy. They’re halfway between the line for the bar and the dancefloor, and they are both holding bright, pink cocktails. Watching them together is enough to make Zach regret saying yes. 

Zach feels a familiar spike of jealousy. At this point, being into Willy is just a part of who she is, secondary and not important because there’s no way anything is ever going to happen between them. Zach can’t even remember when it started. When Zach first signed in Toronto, she was still getting used to the idea of not being straight and spent a lot of that season relearning herself. There was the haircut, and the (ex)girlfriend, and the coming out and the _playing in Toronto_ and Zach thinks she can be excused for not realising that Willy was also a huge part of it. That by the time they were playing for the Leafs, Willy was the first person she thought of in the morning and the last person she thought of before going to sleep. 

Willy and Kappy link arms and down their drinks like they are part of a tacky wedding shoot and Zach tries not to glare too hard. While Zach was having her crisis, she’s pretty sure Willy and Kappy were fucking every chance they got. It’s not a big deal. Except for how Zach wishes that was her and can’t stand the fact that Kappy had what she so desperately wants. Zach’s working on the jealousy thing. Sometimes she can even convince herself that it’s working. Willy and Kappy make their way to the dancefloor proper and Zach watches them for a minute – their bodies fitting together seamlessly – before forcing herself to look away. Instead, she tracks Auston in the crowd. Auston can take care of herself and if she wants to leave with someone she’ll let Zach know, but Zach can’t stop the protective urge to make sure everything is okay. For now, she’s still alone but Zach can see at least three guys working up the courage to move into her space and she makes sure to remind herself to check on her again later. 

Naz knocks Zach’s elbow with his own and points to the bar, Zach gives him a thumbs up and they all weave back through the foot traffic to get back downstairs. They join Mo and Connor at the bar – Freddie has disappeared and Zach knows better than to ask – and do another round of shots before splitting up again. Zach nurses a beer and keeps people watching. There’s a cute guy in a Raptors snapback trying to catch her eye but Zach keeps her eyes on her team. There’s nothing wrong with him (except that he’s got brown hair, a Canadian accent and is a guy) but Zach’s not feeling it. She’s not feeling any of this. Zach finishes off her drink and heads to the bar the pop her glass down, but none of the others are hanging around so she gets out her phone to text that she’s leaving. 

But for the second time today, Willy has other ideas. Zach stopped watching her and Kappy when she came downstairs so it’s a surprise to see her alone. Everything about her is distracting: hair is that awkward length between long and short that she’s still managed to style into something presentable; makeup that is subtle but still there, sparkly eyes and unnaturally pink lips; and a dress that is a simple black thing with a deep v that gives her perfect cleavage. Zach is an awkward mix of turned on and embarrassed by her own look. Glamour has never been Zach’s thing but in the face of Willy’s effortless femininity, she barely feels like a girl. 

“You’re not going, are you?” Willy says with a pout.

“Not really feeling it, kinda tired,” Zach says, trying not to stare. Zach had this perfected last season but after months of not seeing her, Zach has to relearn all her old tricks so as not to creep her out. Willy knows she’s attractive and it should make it easier to ignore her, but everything about her captures Zach’s attention. 

“But we didn’t even dance.”

Zach blinks and doesn’t say anything. Zach doesn’t want to laugh at her because Willy’s obviously being serious but she’s not sure what else she’s meant to do here. Zach never dances and if she does, she definitely isn’t doing it with Willy. It’s hard enough to talk to Willy without it hurting – the only thing that doesn’t hurt is hockey and that’s because they’re golden – and the idea of dancing with her makes Zach’s brain melt. “I don’t dance, Willy. And I’m crashing pretty bad so I’m gonna head off. I don’t want to be a buzzkill on your first night back.”

“Nah, I’m ready to go to. Mostly staying to wingman Kappy,” she says with a wink. “I’ll text and let her know we left together.”

Then she links her arm with Zach’s and pulls her out into the frigid December air. Zach books an Uber and tries not to twitch every time Willy moves, their bodies still so close that Zach can feel it every time. She wants to enjoy this while she has it. Willy talks while they wait. Zach only saw her with the one cocktail but it’s clear she’s had a few because she’s constantly talking. She’s telling Zach about everything she missed about Toronto and everything she’s going to miss about Sweden now that she’s here. She’s so animated and so beautiful and Zach really needs the car to come now. 

The car drives past a couple of minutes later – “It’s so cool that you know cars. Whenever I book Ubers I have to memorise the number plate” – and Zach ushers Willy into the back with her. The driver speaks broken English and Zach’s secretly thankful because she has no desire to try and make conversation with a random Leafs fan. Zach shoots off a text to Auston and even if she doesn’t see it, Zach feels better having sent it. Willy keeps talking and Zach rests her eyes as she listens, too tired to put more effort in. 

“Zach,” Willy says with an insistent tone as she pokes Zach’s thigh. Zach mumbles out something that sounds like _what_ and swats at the finger. Willy laughs, a weird tinkle that always makes Zach want to laugh too and leans across Zach to open the door. “We’re at your place.”

“Oh,” Zach says, blinking awake as she looks up at her building. She says sorry and thank you in the same breath to the driver as she clambers out of the seat. Once she’s on the street she turns back around to remind Willy to text her once she’s home but instead Willy climbs out as well. 

“Is it okay for me to come up? Sorry, for crashing without an invite it’s just, my place is still kind of empty and half-unpacked and I figure you have a spare bed made up,” she says with an apologetic shrug. Willy’s not selfish by any means but it’s still a surprise to see her open and honest like this because Kappy is normally the one she confides in. Zach’s sure it’s the alcohol that’s made her more open but that doesn’t make it any less real. Zach nods and before she knows it, they’re walking into her apartment together. 

“Shit,” Zach says as she remembers – there is no spare bed made up. Her brothers had crashed over last weekend and Zach hadn’t bothered fixing the beds up because no one else ever visits and stays the night. Or at least, not in the spare bedrooms. 

“What’s up?” Willy asks, a delighted grin on her face as she looks around. Zach’s not sure what’s so fascinating, it’s not like she’s done any major remodelling since Willy was last here. Even if that was months ago. 

“I forgot, my brothers were here the other week, so the beds aren’t made.” Willy looks like she wants to interrupt so Zach rolls her eyes to the ceiling in embarrassment and keeps talking. “You can take my bed, I’ll sleep on the couch or something.”

“Not happening, babe. We can just share you bed! Not like I have cooties,” Willy says, and Zach sees her wink out of the corner of her eye. Flushing, Zach purposefully doesn’t think about what kind of things they could do together in a bed that would give her cooties. Schoolyard gossip would imply at least some kind of kissing. Zach realises she’s being ridiculous and beckons for Willy to follow as she makes her way to the bedroom. 

The bedroom looks the same as it always does, the bed made and the floor clear but the chair in the corner is covered in clothes and throw pillows. Nothing about it is fascinating but Willy looks enamoured by it all. For Zach, the most amazing thing about it is that Willy is in here. Zach tries not to show how nervous she is, how much Willy’s presence in her bedroom is flustering her but it’s hard to concentrate. Zach has proper pjs but she only ever wears old shirts, so she reaches into the drawer and pulls out two random ones. Maybe it’s because she’s European, or maybe it’s years of changing in locker rooms, but Willy never cares about nudity, and she immediately shimmies out of her dress, revealing a lacy black bra and panties and miles upon miles of tan skin, before she reaches over to snag one of the shirts from Zach’s hand. 

“Right,” Zach says, awkward and abrupt because she can’t be in here right now. She makes an abortive motion towards the bathroom with her hand before shuffling through the door in embarrassment. Willy giggles and tells her to stop being ridiculous but Zach can’t do this, not right now, and she mumbles something about needing the toilet before slinking through the door. In the bathroom, Zach splashes water on her face before stripping and getting changed. There’s no reason to be self-conscious, Willy’s seen her naked more times than Zach can count, but looking down at her own body Zach abruptly wishes she looked less butch and more girly. That her body wasn’t so obviously dedicated to hockey. She sighs, there’s nothing wrong with her body and Willy’s not even looking at her like that so it doesn’t even matter. 

Willy is in the bed when Zach comes back out and seeing her blonde hair poking out over the familiar bedspread that Zach’s had since she bought this place confuses her so much that she can’t tell if her heart is full of love or breaking from it. It hurts so much to see her here and know that nothing has changed. “Sorry if I took your side,” Willy mumbles and Zach reassures her it’s fine. She’s pretty sure Willy is asleep before Zach even says anything. 

She has no idea how she’s ever going to sleep. 

***

In the morning, Zach wakes up in an instant, still a little dopey and confused, and it takes her a moment to remember who the other person in her bed is. She feels herself stiffen up and hopes Willy can’t feel it. It shouldn’t be a problem, except in their sleep the two of them have migrated towards one another, their legs are entwined and Willy has an arm thrown over Zach’s waist. Her own hand is in a gentle fist between them, grazing against the underside of Willy’s breast. She wrenches her fist away, guilt and shame boiling up in her stomach. 

She has no right to be this close to Willy. 

Trying to be as quiet as possible, Zach jumps in the shower and tries not to think about Willy or beds or anything else. Zach decides to let Willy sleep a little longer while she cooks breakfast. There’s no reason she can’t, it’s only just after seven and they don’t have practice until the afternoon, and besides, she looks peaceful. After the past couple of months, Zach figures she deserves a lie in. 

In the kitchen, Zach starts sorting out breakfast. She can’t remember what Willy eats and it’s been months since they shared a hotel breakfast line, both sleepy and bumping one another instead of talking, that she has no idea where to even start. _Fuck it_ , she thinks. Zach normally has oatmeal and eggs, so she puts the eggs on – everyone likes scrambled right? – and starts cutting up some berries and bananas. Zach hears Willy get in the shower at some point and she focusses on not freaking out. This is more effort than she’d put in for anyone else’s breakfast and she hopes Willy can’t tell. She’s digging for the bottle of honey that she knows she has the on the top shelf of her cupboard when Willy finally makes it to the kitchen.

“Wow, Zach this is…” Willy says, voice full of wonder. Zach turns to look at her and nearly faints. Obviously, Willy didn’t want to wear the shirt she slept in last night or get back into her dress for breakfast, so she’s gone through Zach’s drawers and pulled on a Leafs branded shirt – number eleven clear across her heart – and Zach blushes and hopes that Willy won’t notice. “This is amazing.”

Zach nods, and gets out some cutlery. Willy smiles a lot as she starts taking the plates over to the table, catching Zach’s eye as Zach makes them both a coffee. It isn’t until they start eating that Zach realises how truly ridiculous the breakfast is. There’s enough fruit for to fill an entire plate, two giant bowls of oatmeal and a stack of eggs for both of them, honey for the oatmeal and sugar and milk for the coffee. Zach’s never put this much effort in for anyone in the morning and it’s just another reminder of how much Willy means to her. They keep up a constant stream of chatter as they work through the food.

There’s a lull when they’re both just about done. Zach is drinking the last of her coffee when Willy says, voice soft and gentle: “You really like me, huh?”

“What?” Zach sputters, coughing the coffee up. Her face is bright read and maybe Willy didn’t mean it like that but there’s no way she can’t tell from how Zach reacted. 

“It’s just, um, I as thinking about it while I was gone and you’re always so nice to me and you always look at me and like, not in a bad way! Just, you’re always looking and being nice and you never cook breakfast. Last time I stayed here with Mitch, you had a bowl of oatmeal and told us to fend for ourselves,” Willy is rambling. Zach can tell and Willy can tell but they both seem to be too stuck in the moment to make her stop. So, she keeps going. 

“And, and then I begged you to cook and you did. You made me eggs and you didn’t even get mad when I asked for bacon with them like an idiot. And Zach, babe, you’re always _so nice_ to me and I don’t know how I didn’t notice before.” 

“I didn’t want you to know,” Zach finally says, wiping at her mouth with a napkin and keeping her eyes fixed on the edge of the table. 

“So, I was right? Like you really do like me? I’m not just,” Willy says, breaking off with sigh as she scrunches up her face and makes a weird motion with her hands. Zach recognises it as her trying to find the right English word so she doesn’t dare interrupt. “Like, I’m not just projecting, right?” 

There’s something in Willy’s voice that makes Zach look up. Willy is flushed, her hair a little messy and remnants of last night’s makeup still on her eyes, and Zach has never seen anyone more beautiful. But more importantly, Willy is looking right back at her. Her eyes keep flicking between Zach’s eyes and lips. Unconsciously, Zach licks them, tongue swiping along the bottom and Willy’s face floods with such an intense want. Zach wants nothing more than to get up, straddle her legs and press a bruising kiss to her lips. But she can’t do this halfway. 

“You, um, you like me too?” Zach asks. 

“I like you so fucking much. Like an embarrassing amount. Kappy has been giving me shit about this since I realised because I’ve been a complete idiot about you.”

And that’s enough for Zach. 

She rounds the table in an instant. Willy looks up at her, cheeks still flushed pink and her eyes wide open, and Zach can’t believe this is actually going to happen. Once she gets to Willy, Zach has no idea what she wants to do. She never expected to get this far, never in her wildest dreams did she think it could ever happen, and now that she’s here she’s frozen. 

“Hey babe,” Willy says, soft and gentle. Her smile is everything and it melts Zach’s heart and gets her moving again. Zach decides that sitting on Willy is the best course of action and she perches herself on Willy’s muscly thigh and rests one hand on her shoulder and the other on her cheek. 

“Hey,” she whispers, leaning forward, closer and closer to Willy’s perfect lips. 

There’s a moment before they kiss where Zach is aware of everything – the dust floating in the air, the music her downstairs neighbours are listening to, the press of Willy’s hard thigh underneath her ass, the silver sparkles and smudged eyeliner that are making Willy’s eyes look even bigger and the rush of her pulse in her neck under Zach’s hand. One last moment before they finally kiss. The kiss, when it happens, is a simple little thing. Lips pressing together, innocent and sweet, before they pull back and look at one another. They blink at one another. Zach is struck by the beauty of Willy – she almost always is – and it takes her a second to recover. 

They kissed. It happened. Willy is still here; her hands are wrapped around Zach’s waist and they’re close enough to be breathing one another’s air. Nothing happens for a second, then heat builds between them and they crash together with a moan and frantic hands. Willy slides one hand down Zach’s back to grab a handful of her ass and Zach grunts into the kiss. Willy keeps groping her and it’s distracting but not so much that Zach can’t keep kissing her. They keep going and Willy keeps groping and it hurts to pull away but – 

“Bedroom?”

“Shit, yeah. Let’s go,” Willy says. They share another kiss and then Willy finally releases Zach’s ass and they make their way down the hall. Before they can make it into the bedroom, Willy pushes Zach up against the wall and presses a bruising kiss to her lips. “It’s so hard to stop kissing you now that I’ve started.”

Zach sucks in a breath, equal parts embarrassed and turned on, and gently bites on Willy’s bottom lip. Willy moans into the kiss and the sound hits Zach deep in her stomach. While Willy is distracted, Zach takes the opportunity to tug at the shirt – _her shirt_ – that Willy is wearing and reveal her naked torso. Obviously, Willy didn’t bother to put on a bra and Zach can’t believe that her breasts are right there. She lifts her hands up, cupping Willy’s breasts and running her thumbs over her nipples. Willy makes a small noise and Zach pinches one between her thumb and finger, mostly just to watch Willy’s reaction. 

“Ah, fuck, okay. _Bed_ ,” Willy demands. 

Zach pulls off her clothes and the two of them fall into the bed, both naked, and arrange themselves so Zach is on top. Still kissing, they explore one another’s bodies. Willy is clearly an ass girl, reaching down again to grope Zach and pull her down against Willy. She gasps when her clit rubs against Willy’s hipbone, thrusting a couple of times, as she melts into the sensation. A fire is burning in her gut and this probably isn’t enough to get Zach off but it’s not going to stop her. She can feel where Willy is rubbing against her too, just as wet, and suddenly Zach wants nothing less than to taste her. 

“Willy, can I eat you out?” she asks. Willy laughs, startled like she wasn’t expecting the question, but she nods and watches Zach kiss her way down Willy’s chest. She can already tell that Willy likes her nipples being played with, so Zach kisses and sucks on them and revels in Willy’s gasps and moans, before tugging on it with her teeth and moving on. 

Zach can _smell_ Willy, and she presses her nose into the crease of Willy’s thigh before using her fingers to spread Willy’s lips open and mouth at her clit. Willy bucks up against her mouth and Zach uses her hands to press her hips down onto the bed. Willy mumbles an apology and cards her fingers through Zach’s hair, short as it is. The two of them work out a rhythm as Zach figures out what works for Willy – she likes when Zach flattens her tongue and licks her from her clit to her entrance, but she squirms away anytime Zach sucks on her clit. 

“Can you get off like this?” 

“Yeah, yeah. Just, um, your fingers too, please?” 

“Anything for you babe,” Zach says, pulling away to press a quick kiss to the crease of Willy’s thigh. She rearranges them, pulling Willy’s legs up around her shoulders and settling onto her elbows. She waits another moment, long enough for Willy to breathe out a soft _please_ , before sliding a finger into her. She’s so wet and open that Zach doesn’t bother wasting any more time before getting another finger in her. Willy clenches around her and Zach takes a moment to look up at her, heaving chest and flushed cheeks, before tonguing at her clit. Willy comes with a startled cry and Zach keeps working her over until Willy starts slapping at her shoulder. 

“Get up here,” Willy says, yanking at Zach’s arms until they can share another kiss, panting and moaning into one another’s mouths. Zach’s mouth and chin and soaked but Willy clearly doesn’t give a shit, licking and sucking at Zach’s mouth as they kiss. 

“What do you want? What do you need?” Willy asks. 

“Just,” Zach says, unable to think and losing her words. She wants to come, almost desperately at this point, but she knows it’s not going to take long and it doesn’t need to be anything fancy. She sits back up on her haunches and pulls Willy’s hand down to her vagina. Her deft fingers find Zach’s clit in no time and Zach holds her hand there saying: “Yes, yes, yes. Keep going, don’t you dare stop. This is perfect. I’m gonna, I’m gonna –“ before breaking off and coming with a broken moan. Willy keeps moving her fingers, dipping further down and sliding the tip into Zach, and she could probably go another round but not straight away. 

She tugs Willy’s fingers up and sucks on them, tasting herself and watching Willy’s eyes widen in surprise. “You’re going to be the death of me,” she says and pulls Zach down for a kiss. They rearrange themselves on the bed, laying on their sides with their legs entwined, and Zach can’t stop looking at her. 

“What?”

“It’s just, you’re so fucking pretty, and I still can’t believe you want this,” Zach says. 

“Zach, you are literally the hottest girl I have ever seen in my life,” she says and Zach fights away a blush. “But you’re also super smart and good with kids and you make me laugh more than anyone else. You’re annoyingly kind and you care so much about everyone and everything. You’re basically perfect, babe.”

“Shut up,” Zach mumbles. She can’t stop smiling and she doesn’t want to. 

“I will say it every time I see you if I have to. You’re perfect,” Willy says, leaning forward for another kiss. It’s soft and gentle for a moment but it quickly turns heated. “Round two?”

Zach smirks and rolls herself on top, like she could ever deny Willy anything.

**Author's Note:**

> i'll add my hockey tumblr after reveals :)


End file.
